When There Were Monsters

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When There Were Monsters was a short produced by Ted Phillips with T.J.'s Cracked Egg Productions. It was the first time since Th where Ted used storybook animation. It was his first production to feature an opening title sequence and theme song. It was recorded on VHS-C format media in February 1993, but was not edited or released to the public until December 1, 2008.

When There Were Monsters was the earliest known recorded production by Ted Phillips. Analysis in April 2022 revealed that the long-believed oldest tape in the archives was actually younger, and this short dethroned Deep in the Woods for the title. After archaeological recovery of Ted's Fun Site in 2024, further evidence to support When There Were Monsters was discovered in the site's 1998 discussion of the early timeline. That web site also referred to this short by an incorrect title, as "The Glob."

• The short mimics read-along books that were prevalent in the 1980s and early 1990s. Ted Phillips imitates the use of a chime indicating when to turn the page when he makes a "beep" sound at the end of each page.
• The setup is a precursor to Ted's live productions of The Glob and The Eye, in which groups of treasure seekers enter caves and someone goes missing.
• The jewel hunters first notice a giant eye in the cave, which is later expanded upon with The Eye.
• The wood makes an appearance.
• Gore is called "fruit juice." This concept is revisited in Skelly 2.
• There is a rotary phone in the background behind Teddy Phillips.

• When applying to film school, Ted Phillips described When There Were Monsters in his portfolio:
  

  Ted Phillips said:

  Two travelers are attacked by a pair of ferocious monsters. The heroes defeat the attackers, but in the process die themselves.

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